Lady Vols tap Marshall coach to lead program

Tennessee’s new women’s basketball coach has a long history of winning on her resume, even if only a small portion of it has come on the NCAA’s Division I level.

The Lady Vols on Sunday hired former Marshall coach Kim Caldwell to guide the program moving forward. She replaces Kellie Harper, who was fired after five seasons.

Caldwell agreed to a five-year deal worth $3.75 million, per Knox News, which also reported the contract has a clause that would immediately make Caldwell the highest-paid coach in Division I basketball if she leads Tennessee to a national title.

A Parkersburg, W.Va., native with no previous ties to the Tennessee program, Caldwell spent last season guiding the Thundering Herd to a school-record 26 victories. Marshall’s 26-7 record included a 17-1 mark in the Sun Belt Conference and the Thundering Herd’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1997.

Marshall, which had been picked to finish ninth in the conference’s preseason poll, won the Sun Belt’s regular season and tournament crowns, recording the program’s first 20-win regular-season since 1990-91.

“From the beginning, our goal has been to find a dynamic head coach who can restore our women's basketball program to national prominence,” Vols athletic director Danny White said in a release. “Kim Caldwell is the ideal person to lead us.

“Kim has a winning formula that she has successfully implemented everywhere she has coached, with a fast-paced, high-octane offense and pressure defense that has led to remarkable results. In this new era of college sports, it was vital that we found an innovative head coach with a strong track record of winning titles. We are eager to return the Lady Vols to a championship level, and we're confident that Kim Caldwell is the coach who can lead us back to the top.”

Prior to Marshall, Caldwell coached her alma mater, Division II Glenville State to a 191-24 record over seven seasons, including a mark of 68-4 over her last two seasons there. She led the Pioneers to a national championship in 2021-22 with a 35-1 record and guided her team to a 33-3 mark in 2022-23. Caldwell’s teams won six Mountain East Conference regular-season titles in her seven years there, and she was named the MEC coach of the year four times.

For the 2021-22 season’s accomplishment, Caldwell was presented the Pat Summitt Trophy, which goes to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division II National Coach of the Year.

“I am honored and humbled to accept the role as head coach of this historic program at the University of Tennessee,” Caldwell said in a release. “I can’t help but reflect on accepting the Pat Summitt Trophy three seasons ago and be moved by the great responsibility and opportunity of now leading and building upon the incredible Lady Vol tradition she built. I am so excited to get to work and can’t wait to see what we all can accomplish together.”

Lady Vols fans should expect a high-scoring, high-pressure team under Caldwell.

In 2023-24, Caldwell’s Marshall team averaged 85.3 points per game, trailing only Iowa, LSU and South Carolina. The Thundering Herd averaged 31.9 three-point attempts last season (first in the nation), averaged 10.6 three-pointers made (third in the nation) and scored 90-plus points nine times.

Defensively, Marshall finished second in turnovers forced per game (24.2), third in steals (13.2) and third in turnover margin (7.9).

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.